Paul Kalanithi

Date of Birth: April 1, 1977

Zodiac Sign: Aries

Date of Death: March 9, 2015

Biography

Paul Sudhir Arul Kalanithi was an American neurosurgeon and writer, best known for his poignant memoir “When Breath Becomes Air,” which chronicles his life and battle with terminal cancer. Kalanithi was born in New York City and raised in Kingman, Arizona. He was an accomplished scholar, earning degrees in English literature, human biology, and history and philosophy of science and medicine from Stanford University and Cambridge University before completing his medical degree at Yale School of Medicine. Kalanithi completed his residency in neurological surgery and a postdoctoral fellowship in neuroscience at Stanford University. His career was cut short when he was diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer at the age of 36. Despite his illness, Kalanithi continued to work and write, producing insightful essays on medicine, mortality, and meaning that were published in prestigious outlets like The New York Times. His memoir, published posthumously, became a bestseller and has been widely lauded for its eloquent exploration of life and death.

5 Interesting Facts about Paul Kalanithi

1. Kalanithi was working on his memoir, “When Breath Becomes Air,” up until a few months before his death.

2. He was awarded the American Academy of Neurological Surgery’s highest award for research.

3. His wife, Lucy Kalanithi, is also a physician and has continued to advocate for end-of-life care and literature.

4. Kalanithi’s memoir has been translated into over 20 languages.

5. He also held a master’s degree in English literature from Stanford University, which influenced his eloquent writing style.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Paul Kalanithi

1. “I knew with certainty that I would never be a doctor.”

2. “Even if I’m dying, until I actually die, I am still living.”

3. “Human knowledge is never contained in one person.”

4. “Science may provide the most useful way to organize empirical, reproducible data, but its power to do so is predicated on its inability to grasp the most central aspects of human life.”

5. “The main message of Jesus, I believed, is that mercy trumps justice every time.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

Paul Kalanithi’s net worth was not widely publicized, but his memoir has sold millions of copies worldwide, adding significant posthumous earnings to his estate.